Bike Check: “Supa Piet’s” carbonbike RevoX
At the age of 23 and back in 2013, Piet was competing as a triathlete and thinking about moving into the professional ranks. On a training ride, a car turned in front of him and he wasn’t able to avoid hitting it which resulted in some serious injuries. Piet’s body and legs are completely paralyzed, he is a C6 quadriplegic. He only has use of his head and shoulders with limited arm function. There is no hand or finger movement. Incredibly, despite these challenges, Piet continues to compete and inspire millions of people. To work around his injuries, Piet has a pretty unique bike. Let’s take a closer look at his setup:
What’s on your bike yet not easily available in South Africa?
Being a handcycle quite a couple of things are not available in South Africa like 20-inch wheels at the back and the 26-inch front wheel. Also because I am quadriplegic I custom-made handgrips and adapt my SRAM blips to be slightly easier to press the buttons.
If you sold the bike, what component would you keep for your next bike?
I’m running with SRAM AXS Red, would definitely keep this as well as my cane Creek eBrake calipers as well as most of my racing wheels and custom hand grips.
What surprises you the most about this bike?
Previously the two rear wheels were not cambered and were quite a lot wider in order to give stability around corners. This frame has a camber of 12 degrees on the two rear wheels and is quite a bit narrower. I was surprised that the rolling [speed] on the road is very similar and when going around corners the bike actually ‘sits’ better with the camber than the wider straight wheel setup. I’m surprised with the bike’s overall maneuverability.
What do you enjoy the most about this bike?
The narrower cambered rear wheel setup just takes corners and maneuvers unexpectedly well and the new fork is far stiffer.
What improvements did you make from your previous bike?
Cambered rear wheels, new 3D printed mounts for electronic buttons and carbon fiber side poles instead of aluminum to mount brakes and buttons on the side of the frame. This dropped about 180g and made for a much smoother look. It’s also more aerodynamic. The tri-spoke rear wheels were also a new addition to my setup on my road into the Tokyo 2020 paralympic games. I also got a custom smaller-sized chain guard which allowed for a better line of sight.
Where do you see any changes or improvements going forward – particularly with the bikes and sport?
The frames are constantly getting lighter and more aerodynamic and that will just continue. For me, as a quadriplegic, I would like to develop my hand grips a bit more and instead of adding my own custom aluminum shapes adapted from the normal handles, I would like to see a full carbon handle. I would love to help with the development around that.
How much customization or modifications are needed on the bike to make it work better for you?
Certain things can be ordered slightly customized. Like having holes on the sides of the frame with some thread, but for me, as a quadriplegic, I customize my braking and gear button setup. It starts with the actual bar and clamps used to attach onto the frame and extends all the way to 3D printing of my brake lever. I also slightly adapt my SRAM blip buttons to be more sensitive when pressing. Also, I customize my own hand grips using aluminum which I cut and bend before adding padding. This helps me propel the cranks without moving my hands and fingers.
| IMAGES: Dom Barnardt |